Initially , I slept well in the village deep in the Ecuadorian rainforest where I was teaching English. The family I lived with had a house which consisted of two rooms, one in which the parents and baby Yutzu slept, the other housed the 6 other children. Outside, there was also a porch, onto which an external kitchen area was attached. Every night, I would roll out my sleeping mat onto the porch, string up my mosquito net around it , and set down my sleeping bag. I’d have my rucksack under the net with me, and I’d stuff my bag with clothes to use as a pillow. My mosquito net formed an instant bedroom, within which I felt at home. Once my candle had been lit, I felt very snug and safe inside. I had my whole world with me. To complete the homely atmosphere , Lobo the dog would settle on other side of the porch from me, a reassuring presence. It would be the only time of the day that I would spend any time alone , and I relished this privacy .
Darkness would fall round about 7 o’clock. Almost immediately, the noise of the jungle would escalate. Throughout the whole night there would be a cacophony of chirping insects, croaking frogs, squeaking bats and the calls of nocturnal animals, each species occupying a different strata of sound . Every night, I would read until I felt myself drifting off to sleep to the layers of noise of the jungle.
